FRANZ WEST: REST AT DIA CENTER FOR THE ARTS

September 16-October 30, 1994

Oct 03, 1994

Rest, a site-specific installation by the Austrian artist Franz West is currently on view at Dia Center for the Arts, New York. The installation opened September 16, 1994. Franz West has installed twenty-seven welded steel couches and accompanying tables on the rooftop at Dia. The project will continue at 548 West 22nd Street through October 30, 1994. Hours are Thursday through Sunday, 12 noon to 6 p.m.

Inviting the viewer to participate and interact with his objects, West speaks to two audiences: both to those who appreciate the conceptual and art historical strategies he employs in his art making, and to those who simply enjoy the works utilitarian properties. The slip covers for the couches (designed and fabricated by collaborator Gilbert Brettenbauer), have been sewn into bold patterns of black and white, reflecting the urban landscape, in both its physical and cultural characteristics. A Version, a video by collaborator Bernhard Riff, will be on view in the Video Salon throughout the duration of the exhibition.

West began making Paßstücke(Fitting Pieces) in 1976, and metal sculpture/furniture in the mid-eighties. During that decade he exhibited widely in Europe and elsewhere, representing Austria at the Venice Biennale in 1990. In 1989 a large show of his work was presented at The Institute for Contemporary Art, P.S. 1 Museum, in Long Island City. From September 17–October 22, 1994, he will be showing new work at the David Zwirner Gallery in New York.

Funding for this project has been provided by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Austrian Cultural Institute, New York, and the Austrian Ministry of Education and Art. It originated at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and has been reconceived for Dia.